At Northern Rivers Equine Veterinary Clinic we have recently added an Equinosis lameness locator to our diagnostic services. This is new technology out of America and is used in most modern and progressive practices.
The lameness locator objectively measures movements of the head and pelvis, it calculates abnormalities and differences in weight bearing on each limb, some of which can go unnoticed to the eye. It can also differentiate if the lameness is occurring on impact, during the midstance of the stride or when pushing off. This is the only way to quantify the lameness we are seeing during a lameness examination.
To get a reading on your horse a small wireless sensor is attached to the right fore pastern, the head and the pelvis. We then perform our normal lameness exam – trot the horse out in a straight line, lunge, perform flexion tests and nerve blocks all of which are analysed on the spot and a report formulated for the client. The sensors can also be used while the horse is being ridden or when working on the track.
The lameness locator can be used to establish a normal baseline for your horse, monitor/assess subclinical poor performance prior to visual lameness appearing, investigate lameness - including multiple limb lameness, show response to joint injections (before and after), monitor rehab progress, and assess horses for prepurchase examinations.